Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

the only sword i've ever come across was the Master Sword.

I gots a sword. It's a Japanese sword my grandpa found in the quarters he was assigned to when he was stationed in Japan right after World War II, so it's probably a standard military-type sword. Before he died, gramps let people go through his stuff and label it with their name claiming it as theirs, so I put my name on it before my cousin could (he got the more American sword). I keep it near my bed, just in case, since I found evidence that someone had tried to break in recently. Other than that, I've used it to chop fruit tossed in my direction, which has made it get a bit discolored. I'm gonna have to clean it up, though, cuz one day the handle fell off and I saw an inscription in Japanese on the tang. I don't know what it means, but I read those inscriptions usually signify the family it belongs to, and those families usually really would like their swords back. I'll get around to that someday probably.

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I gots dis sword.

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TIRES TIRES TIRES

"Uh, sorry about the watermelon seeds that are stuck on there."

Odds are what you've got there is not technically a katana, but a shin gunto ("new army sword"). These swords were mass produced for Japanese military officers from the 30's until the end of WWII. I strongly doubt the inscription has anything to do with a Japanese family; it's probably an arsenal stamp telling where the sword was manufactured.

Nevertheless, it's still a historical piece and should be treated cautiously. I'd clean it immediately if I were you...you should never put a blade away dirty. Shin gunto are still fairly common, but as more and more of them fall apart with age the more valuable the survivors become. Do your best to keep it in good shape.

Mike

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Logical fallacies ahoy! I'd also like to say: graaaaagh!

Hehe, I didn't mean that I put it away with seeds and juice still on it... I did wipe it off, but it's still getting that kinda black, spotty rust, probably from the acidity of the juice.

This thing's definitely falling apart a bit. It's missing a few little screws and pegs that were holding some things on there better. I guess if I find out that it's not from a family, I'll just focus on finding some new screws and pegs and keep it around. Thanks for the info.

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Tarnish...yeah, that's tough. You can't get rid of tarnish completely without grinding it off, and that can be worse for the blade than the tarnish itself. Best thing I've found for blade tarnish is this stuff called Metal Glo. It won't get the spots off completely, but it will reduce them significantly. I've never found Metal Glo in a hardware store, but it's easy to get online. Atlanta Cutlery sells it for a good price. In any event, the earlier you tackle tarnish the better.

Another thing that helps with tarnish is leaving the blade unsheathed. Moisture can get trapped inside the scabbard where it increases the rate of oxidation, and thus, you get more tarnish and you get it faster. Just make sure you keep the unsheathed blade in a safe place where you won't trip over it! I bet that old shin gunto still has a mean edge on it.

As for gunblades, there was the LaFaucheux Knife Revolver, a pin-fire weapon from 1865 with a long knife built directly into the barrel. I wish I had a good picture to link to, but the thing does look more than a little like a Final Fantasy gunblade.

Mike

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Logical fallacies ahoy! I'd also like to say: graaaaagh!

Would keeping the blade wiped down with oil help prevent oxidation? I know for cast iron pans, oiling them prevents rust (although you probably wouldn't want cooking oil for your sword - maybe 3-In-1).

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The inscription reads, "Curdsed is the bearer of this sword. Whoever finds this sword and keeps it for himself shall become one of the living dead. The secret to removing the curse is known only by the Yui Fon monks in North Korea."

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I could use some salve.

Yeah... I heard something about oil and rust prevention once, so I kinda smeared it up with olive oil one time. Yeah. I think it made it worse.

I did an image search on "shin gunto" and saw a bunch of swords that looked exactly like mine. So that's good to know. That would also explain why none of the kanji in the inscription was in a book of katana inscription characters I looked at a while back. Anyway, this is it:

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That's a good looking blade, Tiger, even without the guard. At a guess I'd say that's a Type 98 commissioned officer's sword. Hopefully you can eventually find a smith who'll be able to put it back together for you.

As for oil and other sword care tips, try this link to Albion's sword care page. The Albion guys are very good and I'd take their advice any day. Another good link for people who are seriously interested in swords and swordsmanship is ARMA, the Association for Renaissance Martial Arts. They're especially recommended if you prefer European weapons and fighting styles. Want to know how the Scots really used those claymores? Ask ARMA.

Mike

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Logical fallacies ahoy! I'd also like to say: graaaaagh!

or my English teacher. (he likes Macbeth a lot) We spent an entire hour talking about unseaming people. and medieval combat. it was....grizzly.

My grandfather has a Japanese bayonet hanging on his kitchen wall. I hope I get it eventually.

Anyway, I basically use my sword to chop the heads off dandilions.

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It just so happens I have a webcomic...
http://forum.hrwiki.org/viewtopic.php?t=10852